66 8QTTASHES, HOW TO GROW THEM, ETC, 



must be so in the meat as well as in the shell, and this 

 can be in a moment determined by endeavoring to bend 

 them. If they are pliable, they are not yet sufficiently 

 dry ; if they snap instead of bending, they can be safely 

 stored for future use. 



How long will Squash Seed keep their Vitality ? Squash 

 seed, like all other seed, are best kept in a cool place,' 

 where the air is dry and the temperature is as even as pos- 

 sible. I have found that of the same lot of seed, those which 

 were kept in an open bag did not retain their vitality as 

 long by a year as those which were kept in the same bag, 

 but put up in paper packages. 



I have known squash seed to be fairly good at six years 

 old, and again to be worthless when but three years old, 

 and with no perceptible difference in the getting out and 

 method of keeping of the two lots. I would lay down 

 the rule to always test squash seed before planting, if it 

 be over two years old. This can be easily done by putting 

 a few in a cup, with water sufficient to swell them, covering 

 them with some cotton wool, to prevent evaporation, and 

 placing the cup where the heat is gentle, near the stove 

 or on the upper shelf of a closet. 



If the oil that enters into the composition of the meat 

 of the squash seed has become rancid, the vegetative power 

 of the seed is destroyed. This is easily determined by 

 breaking the seed, when the meat will be of a dark color, 

 and have a rancid taste. Under such circumstances, the 

 shell of the spoiled seed will be usually darker colored than 

 that of good seed. In a lot of seed saved at the same time, 

 a portion will be spoiled, while the remainder will readily 

 vegetate, and some that to the eye and taste appear to be 

 perfectly sound, will prove to be utterly worthless. The 

 cause of the difference in either case I do not know. 



The proportion of seed and entrails of squashes to their 

 entire weight is less than is generally supposed. By tests, 



